"Most addicting multiplayer game ever made"

Since I started contributing to gamefaqs I felt that I should first of all give credit to IMO one of, if not THE best game ever made. I am putting it under the Frozen Throne section because it is newer but my review refers to both. I began playing this game when it was first released and its been over 4 years now, the funny thing is I can still play it without getting sick of it. I do take breaks from it, otherwise I probably would force myself to get sick of it but I've never had a game where I can play for a long time, take a break for a week or even a couple months and then go back and play it again without feeling bored.

The main reasons I think for this are:Extremely intuitive controls and gameplay- It is very easy to learn the basic skills on how to play even if it takes a long time to develop the skill and micromanagement to be considered good. It is a must to memorize the hot keys and if you just play for a decent time period they become second nature. There is also the option of reprogramming everything but I never found it necessary (some elite players I'm sure take full advantage of that). The gameplay I feel has a steep learning curve so there is a lot of replay value, atleast if you want to beat other people (the computer doesn't take much effort for any decent player). In my opinion there is so much potential improvement for any player if you keep playing that if you are competitive like myself it just fuels you to keep playing over and over.

Multiplayer (Battle.net)- This is the reason I can never really tire of warcraft III, it is the people. Sometimes people are horrible, it's like they hate you for no reason and sometimes you get along so well with your teammates it's almost like your friends in real life (I'm referring to random team of course). You learn so much from playing against and with others, and rarely does the same thing happen twice even if you play against/with the same people. That is true for all multiplayer but Battle.net is so well setup I think it really invites you to play even people who are new to the game.

Constant patches and Expansion- Blizzard is always on top of their game when it comes to fixing problems and stopping people from ruining the game by cheating. The fact that it is a pc game is taken full advantage of, there have been so many patches over the years it's not even funny. The frozen throne expansion changed the game completely like brood wars did for warcraft. It lead to some new cookiecutter strategies and builds that some would call "imbalanced" but you gotta give them credit for completely changing the game, the units and the new heroes changed the way everybody plays whether they are pros or beginners. Playing with your friends against another group of friends that's just awesome.

Custom maps AKA DOTA- In a way you could think of the success of DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) like Counterstrike was for half life. The difference was IMO half life was a good single player game that you play once through and that's it whereas warcraft III/Frozen Throne was a much better standalone game, and then Dota just made it even more popular. Dota is equally fun in a completely different way. It is 5v5 and you only get one hero, the theory is you get one really strong person to control of course so it should be much easier/simpler but in reality it's not. Pro dota teams have such good teamwork it requires a ton of skill/practice too albeit it doesn't require the amazing speed that the pros for the regular strategy game have, I'm not gonna say if it takes more skill to be good in dota or in the regular games you guys decide for yourselves.

This game is not without it's faults but for me there is maybe 4 other games that I would give a 10, I don't think a 10/10 has to be perfect in every way anyway as long as it entertains you in a way you never thought possible.

Things I wish were improved:Graphics- The graphics for me are adequate everything looks pretty decent it's not that important imo, the gripe I have is that considering how ordinary the graphics are, it takes a surprisingly large amount of resources. It has low requirements but you actually do need a pretty good comp to run it at decent settings which seems wierd to me.

Scores:gameplay 10/10- controls are well laid out, unlimited replay value, the single player story is solid, excellent multiplayer can't ask for more from a strategy game.

Graphics 7/10- not important to the game but if it's gonna look mediocre anyway why does it take a surprising amount of resources? That's my opinion.

Sound 10/10- good music and unique unit responses and battle sounds to keep you interested and alert.

Learning Curve- Hard- to become really good at this game you need to play a lot, read strategies, watch replays of yourself, etc. if you decide to play online as a beginner prepare be prepared for a rude awakening. That goes for dota too.